Index Archive

29 June 2016

Texas Artist Sentenced to Prison for Failure to File Income Tax Returns
A San Antonio, Texas, artist was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio to 12 months in prison by U.S. Magistrate Judge John W. Primomo, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Carlos Cortes pleaded guilty to one count of failure to file a 2009 tax return on April 21. According to court documents, Cortes is an artist who works in the medium of “Faux Bois,” an artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. His work has been commissioned by the city of San Antonio along with several San Antonio businesses.

According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records, Cortes did not file individual income tax returns for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 despite earning gross income well in excess of the filing requirements. Cortes admitted that he had gross income of $62,043 in 2006, $66,138 for 2007, $457,192 for 2008 and $781,847 for 2009.

Judge Primomo ordered Cortes remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service to begin serving his sentence immediately. In addition to the prison term, Cortes was ordered to pay $404,433 in restitution and to serve one year of supervised release. He was also fined $6,000.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Trial Attorney Robert Kemins of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.